A woman in red robes and a black skirt suddenly appeared in view, her eyes gleaming with a provocativeness that felt oddly familiar.
"I'm Yu Linglong. Care for a spar?" The woman tilted her head, studying her with keen interest.
"A spar?" Jiu Yue chuckled softly, her palm twitching slightly as the dagger in her grip trembled, snapping all the red threads stretched above it. The severed threads hung limply in the wind.
Yu Linglong's smile froze.
Jiu Yue tossed the dagger aside and rubbed her hands together amiably. "Sure, how do you want to fight? Blades, spears, staffs, swords, or whips?"
Yu Linglong retrieved her precious red threads with a pained expression, but her demeanor grew more serious at the challenge.
"Whatever," she replied, pressing her lips together as a fighting spirit flickered in her eyes. "Take this!"
A crimson blur shot forward, but Jiu Yue merely tapped her toes against a nearby tree trunk, nimbly leaping onto a branch. "But you don’t even have a proper weapon," she said earnestly. "Wouldn’t it be unfair if I just beat you up one-sidedly?"
"Arrogant. I like that," Yu Linglong sneered, and suddenly, countless red threads burst from beneath her palms.
The tree trunk beside Jiu Yue was pierced through by the threads. She casually flicked a few leaves toward Yu Linglong, only for them to be ruthlessly shredded midair.
"Just leaves? You really think so little of me—"
Before she could finish, Jiu Yue leaped down, her limbs deftly dodging the attacking threads before landing gracefully on the central thread embedded in the tree.
The thread quivered as she slid smoothly toward Yu Linglong.
"Linglong, these threads of yours are pretty sturdy," Jiu Yue teased, grinning as she blew a playful whistle.
Yu Linglong: "..."
Her face visibly flushed with anger.
Taking a deep breath, Yu Linglong expressionlessly raised her other hand. A web of red threads wove around her, swiftly tightening into a cocoon meant to trap Jiu Yue.
Yet Jiu Yue’s charge didn’t slow. Just as the crimson cocoon was about to close, she smirked and suddenly grabbed the thread above her head.
Yu Linglong instantly lost control of that thread.
Her eyes widened in disbelief.
Even the watching martial artists were stunned.
"Isn’t that like grabbing a blade barehanded?" A scholar nearly dropped his bowl, voicing his suspicion. "Did Yu Linglong go easy on her?"
"Easy my ass!" Yu Linglong, now the one being controlled by her own threads, cursed as she stumbled past. "I’ll deal with you later!"
Her movement was hurried—and entirely involuntary.
The onlookers watched as Jiu Yue, instead of breaking free, tugged playfully at the threads, the two forces locked in a silent battle of internal energy. Yu Linglong couldn’t afford to lose more of her precious—and expensive—threads!
And so, the scene unfolded like this—
Jiu Yue remained perched on the thread embedded in the tree, curiously pulling at it while Yu Linglong, at the other end, looked like a marionette being yanked around, struggling to regain control.
The crowd: "..."
Yu Linglong cursed inwardly, finally managing to retract all her threads—only to feel a cool touch at her chin.
"Hey, it’s just a friendly match. You’re not mad, are you?" Jiu Yue’s voice ghosted from behind her.
A hand tightened under Yu Linglong’s chin, forcing her to turn and meet Jiu Yue’s innocent smile.
Yu Linglong: "..."
Her pupils dilated slightly.
But Jiu Yue had already clapped her hands and walked away, turning to the remaining spectators under the thatched roof. "Who’s next?"
The crowd: "..."
The scholar quickly set down his bowl and stepped forward eagerly. "Me! I’m Bai Mian. Let’s have a go."
The two moved to an open space nearby. Since Bai Mian wasn’t armed, Jiu Yue didn’t bother with weapons either, and the two began exchanging bare-handed blows.
Bai Mian looked like a scholar, but once the fight started, his arms bulged thicker than his head.
Yu Linglong returned to the thatched roof in a daze. Doctor Tang sympathetically handed her a bowl of porridge, and she silently took Bai Mian’s former spot, squatting down.
A burly man with a hammer tried to console her. "Don’t take it to heart, lass! She just has stronger internal energy—that’s why you lost. Watch Bai Mian—he’s got natural brute strength. He’ll teach that girl a lesson."
Yu Linglong: "..."
Remembering how effortlessly Jiu Yue had torn through her threads, she muttered, "She’s plenty strong too."
The others dismissed it. "Stronger than Bai Mian? Impossible."
Yu Linglong shook her head. There was no explaining it to them. She looked up, her mood complicated, as the two combatants clashed.
By now, they had exchanged dozens of probing strikes, each confident in their assessment of the other’s skill.
Bai Mian grinned and swung a heavy right fist toward Jiu Yue’s face.
"They say don’t hit the face, but where’s the fun in fighting if you don’t? Right, miss?" he said cheerfully.
Jiu Yue blinked, then nodded in agreement.
"Fair point."
She raised her hand, chopping at the vulnerable crook of his elbow, weakening his punch. Bai Mian gave her an approving look—before suddenly launching a fiercer left hook.
"Didn’t anyone tell you not to lose focus in a fight?" he gloated.
Catching an opponent off-guard dealt the most damage—a lesson his master had drilled into him.
Then—
"Oof!"
Bai Mian spun midair from an unexpected punch before crashing to the ground.
Yu Linglong: "..."
The hammer-wielding man looked down at two teeth that had landed near his feet: "..."
Jiu Yue casually shook her left hand, then crouched beside Bai Mian. "You okay?"
Bai Mian stared up at her, stunned, meeting her apologetic gaze.
"I was aiming for your stomach, but you said hitting the face was more fun..." Jiu Yue mused. "So, was that fun enough for you?"
Bai Mian: "..."
With great effort, he clasped his hands in salute.
His master’s teachings were right—striking when least expected truly was devastating.
Jiu Yue kindly dragged him back to the thatched roof, dusted off her hands, and asked, "Anyone else? My porridge’s getting cold."
The martial artists: "..."
A monster with maxed-out strength, agility, and internal energy—where did she even come from???
Nangong Xun’s group: "..."
Still as brutal as ever.
The training camp members: "..."
Suddenly haunted by traumatic memories.
The seven hidden guards watching from the shadows: "..."
"Was it like this when you protected His Highness last time?" one asked Wu Liang hesitantly.
Wu Liang replied slowly, "His Highness wasn’t this terrifying back then."
The other six: "..."
...
When Sima Qing woke, it was already afternoon.
The first thing he saw was a pair of bright, eager eyes staring down at him. Dazed, he instinctively reached out toward her.
Jiu Yue thought he wouldn’t get up, so she directly reached out and yanked him to his feet, then asked, "You’re awake! Quick, help me think of a name for our gang—we’ve got our own gang now!"
The touch of her cool fingertips snapped Sima Qing awake a little, but he didn’t pull his hand away, replying nonchalantly, "A gang? Those people…"
"They all voted for me as the leader, hehe!" Jiu Yue curled her lips smugly and asked, "You’ve read a lot of books—what do you think about calling us the Doghead Gang?"
Sima Qing: "…"
Hah.
Sima Qing felt he could still use some more sleep.
But Jiu Yue didn’t give him the chance. In a flash, she dragged him off the bed, wrapped him in a cloak, and pulled him outside.
"Come on, come on! You’ve got a convincing face—go praise the name a bit, and they definitely won’t think ‘Doghead Gang’ sounds bad," Jiu Yue said excitedly.
Sima Qing: "…"
Life was truly looking up.
She was even asking him to back her up now.
Though it wasn’t exactly the most dignified backing-up.
